Sunday, July 22, 2007

HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY SHAINA

TODAY WE WILL BE CELEBRATING SHAINA REID’S 21ST BIRTHDAY. SHAINA IS MY GREAT-NIECE AND THE GREAT GRAND-DAUGHTER OF GERVASIO (BRONCO) AND VALENTINA COMELLI, MY MOTHER AND FATHER. CONSEQUENTLY, SHE IS THE GRAND-DAUGHTER OF MY BROTHER, GIOVANNI PRIMO (JOHN) AND HIS WIFE DONNA (MORO) COMELLI. AND OF SOME IMPORTANCE, SHE IS THE DAUGHTER OF DENISE (COMELLI) AND MARK REID. ALSO CELEBRATING SHAINA'S BIRTHDAY WILL BE LOU AND ENEZ MORO (LNC: PGS. 329-330), THE OTHER SET OF GREAT GRANDPARENTS , BARBARA REID, GRANDMOTHER, AND LINA (BRESSANI) GEMIGNANI, SHAINA'S GREAT-GREAT AUNT (LNC: PGS 187-200).

Shaina was born and raised in my hometown of Santa Cruz. She graduated from Holy Cross High School and is currently studying at Cabrillo College. Shaina aspires to become a Dental Hygienist.

An interesting fact is that during her growing-up years, Shaina, along with her brother Mathew, lived at ‘Casa D’ Valentina’ (LNC. Pg.316). The one real serious regret my mother had upon learning she was going to cross ‘Il Ultimo Ponte’ at a relatively young age (64) was that she would never get to see her great-grand children born in her life time. Knowing that two of them lived in the very house she had built would have made her very happy. And I am sure that both ‘Bronco’ and Valentina would have been very proud of their Great Grand-Daughter today. ‘Con UnBacin D’Mor’ ivn0

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Photo Above was taken at 'La Nostra Costa' book signing at the Capitola Bookstore in January of this year. Shaina is wearing her Great-Grandfather's (Bronco) hat.

About Me

Born the youngest son of Immigrant parents from the Friuli Region in Northeastern Italy, I was raised on a "rancio" on the North Coast of Santa Cruz. In 1959 I graduated from San Jose State College and joined the City Police Force. I retired in 1989 with the rank of Captain. In 2001, my article, "Wrong Side of the Highway," was published in the book, "Una Storia Segreta: The Secret History of Italian American Evacuation and Internment during World War II" (Heyday Books). "La Nostra Costa" (Our Coast),which covers my family's journey to and from the north coast, roughly covers the period between 1923 to 1983. It is my first book.
LA NOSTRA COSTA (OUR COAST)
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORHOUSE:
www.authorhouse.com, 1-888-280-7715. For further information visit the La Nostra Costa Website:
www.lanostracosta.com-a.googlepages.com